studio zerbey / plus one

Well, not a lot of dull moments in the Zerbey house lately. Yup, Studio Zerbey just doubled in size. When I formed Studio Zerbey, we knew there was the possibility that Kyle and I might join forces at some point and well, here we are! This was certainly a big decision (Kyle had been at his previous firm for over seven years and had strong ties to the people he worked with) and something we gave considerable thought to – [...]

Well, not a lot of dull moments in the Zerbey house lately.

Yup, Studio Zerbey just doubled in size.

When I formed Studio Zerbey, we knew there was the possibility that Kyle and I might join forces at some point and well, here we are! This was certainly a big decision (Kyle had been at his previous firm for over seven years and had strong ties to the people he worked with) and something we gave considerable thought to – weighing the pros and cons, the risks and the advantages.

Initially, we had reservations about working together. Sure, we like each other (a lot, actually) but we also thought it was important to have our individual work lives. Then, during one of those nights when Avery was sleeping peacefully and I was not…it hit me – we’ve been working together for years. The week after our first date (11 years ago!) we teamed up on a studio project and continued the trend throughout school (although sometimes it was swapping help on structures homework for proofreading a Baroque term paper). In the 8 years that we’ve lived in Seattle, we’ve critiqued our portfolios, coached each other through the Architect Registration Exams and most importantly – acted as both architect and general contractor for our home remodel.

We can do this.

Making the decision to be self-employeed small business owners (with a newborn!) was not an easy one, but we feel confident it’s the right one. We’ll have to redefine what our own family/work balance will be, but I love the idea that Kyle will now get to spend more time with Avery. (Bailey, on the other hand, is still confused about the new baby and why he can no longer spend his days sleeping on the off-limits couch.) We know that this next year will be a time of focus and hard work, but we’re no strangers to that lifestyle either.

Kyle has some exciting projects that he designed and is bringing to Studio Zerbey, including a new house in the Mid-Century Modern Hilltop neighborhood east of Seattle:

And (in collaboration with Balance Associates) wrapping up construction for a new home in Missoula, Montana:

Want to see more? Check out the new and improved Studio Zerbey website! (Thank you Anna!)

Finally, a big thank you to everyone in our lives (especially our clients!) for your support and encouragement along the way. Kyle and I are both so excited and motivated about this new adventure and we look forward to sharing it with you.